On the Road to Vatican II

German Catholic Enlightenment and Reform of the Church

Ulrich L. Lehner

• Publisher: Fortress Press
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN:
  9781506408989
• eBook ISBN:
  9781506408996
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Denominations

In the present day, there is widespread confusion regarding the theological achievements of the Catholic Enlightenment. This book outlines such contributions in the fields of biblical exegesis, church reform, liturgical renewal, and the move toward a more tolerant view of other churches and religions. Since some of the most important Catholic Enlighteners lived in Germany, this book concentrates on their endeavors, but also frequently points to other European players. Only an unpolemical historical assessment of the Catholic Enlightenment can help us to get out of the current gridlock of interpreting Vatican II: was there a break with tradition, or was there continuity? By reviewing the historical debates that preceded Vatican II, the unknown, marginalized, or deliberately forgotten roots of the conciliar debates come to light that can help us fine-tune future hermeneutical endeavors. This history is hitherto unknown to most researchers. Indeed, it is possibly the most neglected field of modern literary history.

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Catholic Exegesis and the Challenge of Enlightenment Criticism

9

The Bible among Catholic Enlighteners

The history of early-modern Catholic exegesis is probably one of the worst-researched fields in literary history. The eighteenth century is no exception. It is worth reading treatises from this time because they encouraged—very much contrary to traditional belief—the laity to read holy scripture, wrestled with historical-critical scholarship, and tried to make the Bible theologically fruitful. The main focus of this chapter is on the German-speaking lands, where an especially lively debate existed. However, this does not mean that we should think of the Holy Roman Empire as an exception, but rather as a puzzle piece in the bigger, transnationally connected panorama of not-yet-researched Catholic exegesis. A good example of how the German-speaking lands were embedded in the big picture of Catholic Enlightenment is the steady stream of translations German theologians made of French or English Catholic scholars. Already in 1787, there existed a Latin translation of Alexander Geddes’s (1737–1802) Prospectus of a New Translation of the Holy Bible (1786).^[1]

Figurative and Allegorical Hermeneutics

Eighteenth-century exegesis was torn between the classic application of allegorical, typological, and figurative interpretations on the one hand, and a historical-critical reading of the ancient texts, which stressed the literal meaning as the only licit one, on the other. A good example of the first are the rules of scriptural interpretation that the French oratorian and philo-Jansenist Jacques Joseph Duguet (1649–1733) published in 1716, and which were translated into German in 1735. At the height of the conflict between traditional and critical exegesis in the last quarter of the century, this translation was reprinted in 1777.^[2]

Duguet makes clear at the beginning of his rulebook that Christ was prefigured in the entire Old Testament and was alone the object of all the prophets.^[3] The first rule, however, is that one has to see Christ wherever the apostles have seen him.^[4] When St. Paul uses an allegorical interpretation to confirm that Jesus is the prophesied end of the law (Rom. 10:4), it would be inappropriate to state that St. Paul did not understand the true meaning of the text. It would be absurd to state that St. Paul taught against the Holy Spirit, that he saw Christ where he was not, or that he leads his readers into error:

He ceases to be a human being inspired by God and a person taught by Jesus Christ himself . . . because there is no middle ground between these two propositions: St. Paul knows the true meaning of a verse . . . and: St. Paul does not know it. . . .^[5]

Thus, in order to understand the prophets, one has to follow the interpretation of the apostles, and not human learning, even if, for example, some of Paul’s comments are not easily compatible with the Hebrew text of the Bible. Those who argue that the text does not warrant Paul’s interpretation are not entrusted with the “key to wisdom” and the guidance given by the Holy Spirit to the faithful.^[6] A theologian should be careful even in the reading of verses that seem to have only a literal or historical meaning, since St. Paul sees in some of them a deeper meaning.^[7]

This does not mean that according to Duguet, one should disregard the literal meaning or accept just any reading of a verse, as long as one sees Jesus in it. Duguet argues, instead, that the literal meaning of the text is the basis for any interpretation, but believes that it can contain two meanings. It is illicit for a theologian to seek his own opinions in the text. In the historical books of the Bible, the historical meaning always has to be the foundational one, and in the prophetic ones, it is the temporal prophecy.^[8] The second rule is that one has to make Christ visible in the text if certain indicators or titles that can only pertain to him appear in the text—for example, that somebody is called a prince of peace, councilor, and so on (as in the prophet Isaiah).^[9] If the concepts and words scripture uses for an object are too subtle and too exalted, one should take it according to the third rule—as a sign that a more profound message is intended.^[10] As a fourth rule, Duguet states that in some instances only the prophetic meaning is the immediate and literal meaning of the text. If one reflected on this rule, then one would see immediately that Solomon and his earthly love could not be the object of the Song of Songs.^[11] All promises of scripture for material goods have to be understood as promises of spiritual goods, says the fifth rule. This is because the whole of scripture commands nothing but true love, and condemns covetousness, which is all about earthly goods.^[12] The sixth rule states that if a narrative is incompatible with our reasonable or established concepts of things, a mystery is entailed. Duguet gives the example of Abraham sending Hagar and Ismael into the desert without help, consolation, guidance, or protection.^[13] The seventh rule reminds the reader that there are mysteries that are inexplicable by reason alone. According to the eighth rule, there are some circumstances in scripture which have an “obvious” connection to Jesus and point to him, although they are contained in the Hebrew Bible. The ninth rule maintains that law, temple, and Jewish ceremonies have to be read as precursors of Christ, while the tenth declares that it is a clear sign of prophecy if it makes a number of other texts understandable. The eleventh rule states that texts about the Jewish law demonstrate the impossibility of justification outside of the Gospels. The twelfth and final rule makes clear that prophecies can contain several different meanings.^[14] These rules summarize nicely how a Catholic exegete would approach scripture if he was not versed in the newest philological findings, or not acquainted with historical-critical scholarship.

Criticism of “Mystical Interpretations”

Especially in the second half of the eighteenth century, hermeneutics began to change. Reading their Protestant colleagues and the works of the great Oratorian Richard Simon (1638–1712) motivated many Catholic...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Table Of Contents
• Series Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Definitions of Catholic Enlightenment
• Ecumenism and Theological Pluralism as Main Tenets of the Catholic Enlightenment
• Church Reform
• Catholic Exegesis and the Challenge of Enlightenment Criticism
• Bibliography
• Publication Credits
• Index of Names